Meeting Summary - 26 October 2003
Rally to Save Water Police Site for the People
A crowd of more than 600 people including Lord Mayor of Sydney Lucy Turnbull, Green ban legend Jack Mundey, Deputy Lord Mayor Dixie Coulton, Community Independent Peter Collins, Greens candidate Chris Harris, Councillor Fabian Marsden, Leichhardt councillor Hall Greenland, and Phil Jenkyn of Protectors of Public Land gathered at Union Square Pyrmont at midday behind the Friends of Pyrmont Point banner to March to Pyrmont Point for the rally.
At Pyrmont Point, Marcelle Hoff , Friends of Pyrmont Point President, told the rally that the Water Police site is owned by the people and, in a democracy it is the people's responsibility to speak up in the public interest. Marcelle told the people that the real villain is SHFA which contrary to the public interest is hell-bent on selling off the land when there is an unchallengeable case for the land to be open space.
Deputy Lord Mayor Dixie Coulton reiterated her support and reminded the rally that all the great parks were the result of commitment and action by community minded citizens.
Jack Mundey repeated his call for SHFA's charter to be reviewed and given emphasis on restoration, rather than development. He said that the Water Police site had brought together a diverse range of people and groups, a sure sign that this issue had significance across the whole community.
Even as Lord Mayor Lucy Turnbull was saying that piecemeal development must give way to a more rational approach and that Sydney Council is opposed to the development, SHFA rangers were busily trying to remove a banner that was draped over a hedge at the back of the crowd, claiming that the area was being "defaced". The rangers were obviously acting under direction as a supervisor was constantly on a mobile phone. After they were stopped by cries of protest from the gathering the rangers said they would remove the banner in three minutes unless the people took them down. By this time the entire gathering and the speaker were aware of the action. The rangers withdrew after it was apparent that their high handed action was being filmed and that they were angering the crowd.
The meeting continued with Phil Jenkyn referring to SHFA as the state government's "real estate developer" and for the need to protect all the harbour foreshore lands to be released by the phase out of the working harbour.
Hall Greenland echoed the need for SHFA to be reviewed and pointed out that the relevant Minister, Craig Knowles and his colleagues are reasonable people and should realise that public opinion is strongly against the sell off of this and other foreshore lands. He pointed to the Minister's request for a meeting with Marcelle Hoff as a positive sign that the government could be persuaded to see reason.
